Villa Horatia
Villa Horatia is a small and new nation at 2 days old with citizens primarily of Dutch ethnicity who follow mixed religions. It is a backwards nation when it comes to technology and many refer to it unkindly as a 'Third World Nation'. Its citizens pay moderately high tax rates and they are somewhat unhappy in their work environments as a result. The citizens of Villa Horatia work diligently to produce Aluminum and Gold as tradable resources for their nation. It is a very passive country when it comes to foreign affairs and has no interests in war. When it comes to nuclear weapons Villa Horatia will not research or develop nuclear weapons. Plans are on the way within Villa Horatia to open new rehabilitation centers across the nation and educate its citizens of the dangers of drug use. Villa Horatia allows its citizens to protest their government but uses a strong police force to monitor things and arrest lawbreakers. It welcomes all new immigrants with open borders. Villa Horatia believes in the freedom of speech and feels that it is every citizens right to speak freely about their government. The government gives foreign aid when it can, but looks to take care of its own people first. Villa Horatia will not make deals with another country that has a poor history of inhuman treatment of its citizens. History The area now occupied has been settled since time immemorial, by various tibes, from various regions, with varied intentions. Around the year zero a travelling monk arrived. This monk, called Heinus, tried to impress and convert the local folks by asking God to send fish down from heaven. Apparently he was not very pious, for the fish raining down were all rotten. The villagers became very sick and beat the monk to death. The monk's son managed to escape and later returned with a small army. The villagers were quickly subjugated. The monk was made a saint (Saint Heinus the Founder) and the monk's son named himself Prince Heinus the First. Heraldry Villa Horatias coat of arms consists of 3 black fish on silver, quartered with three golden wheels on red. The 3 black fish are a reference to the the wonder of the rotten fish of Saint Heinus. The three golden wheels are a reference to the Grand Duchy of Aurea, which was absorbed into Villa Horatia in the 16th century. Current Politics Villa Horatia is in name an absolute monarchy, ruled by Heinus XXVI Horatius (a direct descendant of Heinus I.) Considering the might of the local nobility, the form of government is better described as being strictly feudal. The system consisting of many Dukes, Marquesses, Counts, Barons, Knights, etc. is thouroughly simple and thouroughly unflexible. Many positions in court and government are granted by the Crown to certain nobles, but often only after long and tedious debates, which more often than not devolve into violence. Any attempts by the Princes to change this situation have been met by fierce resistance of the nobility. Foreign Relations Villa Horatia has recently joined the League of Small Superpowers (LOSS). Villa Horatia currently has no embassies in foreign nations. Military Villa Horatia has no official standing army. Many nobles have their own bodyguards. Only a token force protects the capital and the government. No one is worried about this, because a loss of government would not prevent the nobles from bickering among themselves. Culture and Tourism Villa Horatia is famous for both lowbrow and highbrow culture. Many tourists enjow the local peasant festivals, many of which date back to Medieval times. These festivals, often centered around local saints, heroes or cartoon-charactes, are celebrated with colourfull pageants, fireworks and lots of local delicacies. More cultured entertainment can be found in the many theaters that dot the landscape. Tourists should be reminded though, that many of these theaters are possessions of local nobles and might not be open to the general public. Sports are considered to be very uncivilized and are only rarely practiced in Villa Horatia. Villa Horatia's landscape is considered to be very pristine and quite beautiful, though maybe a bit boring.